About Cal Skinner

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* May 2017 – last kid graduates high school in Crystal Lake* May 2017 (day after [South High School] graduation ceremony) – house goes on the market – yes we’ll sell at a loss

Hopefully by Fall of 2017 we’re relocating to an area of the country that doesn’t penalize us quite as much for being a private citizen, and not part of the government or union machine.

Please note, while we do like Crystal Lake Schools, but we’ve stayed in the area to avoid disruption, not because the school(s) itself is worth pay 4X times the property tax we’ll pay as compared to other areas of the country.

This isn’t a statistic massaged to suit a particular position or opinion, it’s just one family planning on moving from McHenry County (and Illinois) because it’s not a financially compelling place to live.

Fuzzy math results in the county and state losing ~20K in revenue (property, state income, sales taxes) from us after we leave.

Some people may say, “don’t let the doorknob hit your butt on the way out.”

And as more property is transferred to public entities (Conservation district, group homes, county roads and facilities, municipal roads and facilities, not for profits such as the Fraternites, schools, churches, mosques and synagogues etc. etc. etc.) those assessments disappear and the tax burden is placed on the remaining property owners.

The best example is the lost assessment from EMPTY manufacturing facilities such as Motorola left to rot after power is cut to the facility.

Then of course we have a plethora of gravel pits in the county with a crop being produced every day while the only tax collected locally is LOCAL gravel sales and the Farm rate property tax on the hole in the ground.

The Conservation District alone, has taken almost SEVEN percent of the land mass in the County off the tax rolls.

Add 4 more such comments on other blogs, cannot afford to live in this County and State any longer. As you drive Outside of the collar counties toward the “downstate” area, you see near poverty we don’t read about. Clusters of small rundown homes, no viable employment all made possible by a greedy, overreaching government.

As property values decline in Woodstock Il, at 4.6% property tax rate last year, the home that is valued at $100,000 today (that was valued at $200,000 yesterday) steadily declines in value to near zero–see Decatur IL, where most property tax revenue goes to pay pensions.

The attitude that Illinois should continue to silently suffer status quo: a few insiders garnishing oceans of public money to carve up at their personal whim–TRUST ME, this attitude of diversion from main issues is not to the benefit of those paying the property taxes ever higher while watching property values sink ever lower.

dentbla – you are very correct – whomever buys my house will be paying property tax, income, sales, etc and displace my/our contribution to the state and local coffers.

My point is/was, we will not be paying it anymore.

It’s about me and my family’s long term future, cost of living, etc.

* Property tax savings – this has been answered by others already – and the 4Xs savings is very attainable. We could save ~7K per year in property taxes alone (the tax burden in McHenry County only has signs of increasing so even if we just keep pace (compared to some of our target areas) we’re not even treading water.

* Net savings on the loss of $s value of the house. It’s a big nut and we’re going to have to eat it regardless. It’s time to cut bait and start rebuilding our financial house – obviously something the state and local government has not been willing to do with it’s financial situation – why should they when they are spending someone else’s money?

* Regarding retirement – my kid’s graduating high school, not graduate school. I’m a long way from retirement. Maybe 20 years or so – we have to finance our retirement through 401K and IRAs, etc. We’re employed in the private sector and pensions don’t exist. Over these 20 years we’ll save 140K in property taxes alone (7K * 20) – obviously not adjusted for future tax hikes. By investing the 7K every year into our retirement account with a conservative return of 5% it can grow to 231K (not adjusted).

* Utopia – we’re definitely not living in one here from tax burden perspective. I will say we really like it here. We have many friends and the people here are awesome. We have a lot of friends who disagree with me when it comes to taxes and politics, but we all get along. They’re many places we’ve looked at where we will be in better shape financially. There’s trade-offs anywhere and nowhere is perfect. Luckily my work skills are portable; we’re just looking for a place less painful.

Our situation is our situation and may not be indicative of anyone else in McHenry County.

The point of the original comment was to share our specific family situation.

We have the luxury of “voting with our feet” in a few years.

It’s not statistically relevant, but it is real.

The doorknob hitting me/us on the way out is expected – real estate transfer taxes, etc. will be the last bite(s).

Well taxes are not nearly high enough in Illinois to cover the bond debt and unfunded pension and retiree healthcare liabilities; not to mention the Federal bond debt and unfunded Federal pensions, Federal retiree healthcare, Social Security, and Obamacare.

Illinois needs to repeal in its entirety via constitutional amendment the pension sentence added to the state constitution in 1970, which will allow the state and local governments to claw back legislative benefit hikes.

dentbla – I think Susan answered your question, but here are more specifics…

The 7K is short-hand for saving $7,000.00 (seven thousand) in property taxes alone vs. a comparable home in several of our target areas.

We’re paying ~8600 per year in property taxes – comparable tax rates in our target areas range from 1200 to 1800 per year.

I used simple math to estimate 8600 -1600 = net 7,000.00 savings.

Now since our real estate taxes have more than doubled in 10 years, it is possible we’d be paying 35K per year in property tax twenty years from now in property taxes (Now $8,600, ten years $17,200, twenty years 34,400) – plus high state income tax, sales tax and any other ways the government will try generate revenue (code for raise taxes).

Can anyone even imagine paying 35K in property taxes when they retire in 20ish years?

When you look at that way, it further confirms our decision to leave is the correct one.

The people should be out in force at the next election, with a plan to oust the likes of Madigan.

He has been in office far too long.

The power of the vote can change the dynamics of politics in Illinois, but only if the people are engaged and aware of what needs to be done to make that happen.

ACCORDING TO SENATOR DAN DUFFY–>

“A bill has to pass both Houses before it can go to the governor for his signature.

As Speaker of the House, Madigan decides what bills can be called for a vote in that chamber.

If a Democrat (Democrats hold supermajorities in the Illinois legislature and can pass any bill, any time they want, without one Republican vote) does vote the way Madigan wants, he will not give them money for their reelection since he controls the purse strings as chairman of their party.

The president of the Senate, Cullerton, was Madigan’s floor leader in the House and now president of the Senate due to Madigan’s support.

Madigan controls both chambers.

The way to stop this mess, is to vote more Republicans into office in 2016 and take away Madigan’s power as Speaker.

West Virginia recently did something very similar and in a state controlled by Democrats, last November they voted in enough Republicans to bring balance to their state government”